At the Top of Our Lungs
by lifeinahole
Summary: AU Prompt: We're on the debate team yet we can't argue about something without yelling. Emma and Killian have problems communicating as members of the same debate team. Because of this, the rest of the group has taken to wearing earplugs and leaving them to their own devices. (Captain Swan One-shot)


_A/N: Built off the prompt "We're on the debate team yet we can't argue about something without yelling". Contains smut glitter._

* * *

Killian never saw himself being one for debate teams. He has other, more enjoyable ways of dealing with arguments in his experience. Talking about problems was always pretty low down on the list of how to handle things. But three weeks into college, he found himself roped into going to a meeting for the debate team. After that one meeting, he stayed year after year. And the same reason he contemplates quitting and never looking back also happens to be the reason he stays. It has nothing to do with stimulating conversation and everything to do with blonde hair, fiery green eyes, and getting to yell back at Emma Swan.

It's Wednesday. Wednesday is debate day. There are four things Killian knows for certain this week that he didn't know last week. 1) Emma Swan uses six bobby pins and one hair tie to construct the surprisingly simple brained bun on the back of her head. 2) Underneath the sensible skirt and sharp blazers she wears for debate, Emma Swan wears undergarments with fancy designs. 3) There are no less than three (3) love bites scattered across Emma Swan's perfect skin and hidden beneath the clothing that looks like it belongs on an accountant instead of a college debate team member. 4) When Emma Swan talks dirty, she uses debate terms whispered in the ear as if they are the most sinful phrases ever uttered.

But alas, when it was all said and done, she stammered out something about _one-time-thing_ and ran from his apartment like it was on fire. For the better part of three years, Killian has been harboring the biggest crush on his teammate, even if they fight like they were the ones debating instead of banding together to debate other teams.

Today, like any other Wednesday, she looks like she is prepared for battle, even if the biggest battle she'll have while she's here is with Killian himself. They're on the same team, but most of their conversations, especially the ones that start out civil, usually end in screaming matches. The other team members have all purchased and now carry earplugs for such occasions.

There's only one way Killian knows how to turn this situation around, and it all happens to be something he's been practicing for years since starting at this university, so with the rest of the team already shoving in earplugs and moving to the other side of the room, he takes the time to utilize his debate tactics.

1\. Low talking

She's doing her best to ignore him, studying the topics for their next match. With everyone else otherwise occupied and doing their best to ignore what they assume is going to be another screaming match of sarcasm and venom, Killian has the perfect opportunity. He won't touch her. That next contact is entirely up to her, just as the first contact last Wednesday night was. Instead, he drops into the chair next to her, feigning nonchalance.

"Swan. I believe it's time to have a little chat about us."

"Us?"

"Yes. You and I. As two people, debate teammates, becoming more than that."

"Jones."

"No, I'm serious." He lets his voice dip down. It's much less to do with being overheard as it is a move of strategy. "I believe there's something here, Swan. Between us. What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy."

"You know, I quite fancy you, when you're not yelling at me." He makes sure his voice drops just a hair lower, but she doesn't take the bait.

"So then never? I'm pretty sure I'm always yelling at you."

"Not true." He doesn't elaborate, and she looks at him to go on, but ends up snorting and looking back at the research in front of her.

"Just shut your mouth if you don't know how to use it, Jones."

"You seemed to think I used it correctly last week, love," he says, innocently looking at her from beneath his lashes as his eyebrow goes up. She glances at his face as she goes red, and he can see it. He can actually witness her remembering the way his mouth traveled down her body, tongue dipping into her navel before finding its home between her thighs as she arched off the bed and into his mouth.

" _Killian_ ," she hisses out, her eyes darting away from his again as her cheeks flame even brighter.

Point: Killian.

2\. Facts & Figures

He faces forward in his chair behind the table again, leaning the chair back and crossing his arms behind his head.

"Did you know," he starts, not even looking in her direction, "that men fall in love more easily than women? According to _Reader's Digest_ , forty-eight percent of men compared to twenty-eight percent of women fall in love at first sight."

"Ya don't say," Emma deadpans, highlighting a passage from the document in front of her.

"Yup," he affirms, popping out the last letter. "And one day, about three years ago, a beautiful lass walked into this very room with the fires of fight burning in her eyes and I will fully admit to wanting to hand over my heart then and there." She looks at him after that, her attention split between his eyes glancing at the ceiling and his lips as they finish moving. He looks out of the corner of his eyes to look back at her. "And then she started yelling at me, called me a cocky sonofabitch, and told me to go to hell in a handbasket."

Her mouth opens and closes a couple times before she shuts it firmly and looks back to her work. "To be fair, you asked me how I had roped out time from such a busy teaching schedule to be the adviser for a student group. You thought I was the teacher. And _then_ you stared at my tits."

"I did no such thing!" Killian exclaims, giving her an affronted look. He sighs in exasperation before dropping all four legs of the chair back to the floor and turning to her again. "You spilled mustard down your shirt. I was trying— _trying,_ Swan, to figure out what you'd so hastily consumed that required quite that much of the condiment." He sees her lips press into a thin line, but he still sees the barest hint of a smile fighting through.

Point: Killian.

3\. Listen

"Okay. Then humor me for a moment here," she says, abandoning the document once and for all and fully turning to face him.

"I will humor you for more than a mere moment if you wish it, love."

"Ha, funny. You're such a funny one." She's still fighting a genuine smile and has to school her features back to Debate Emma before continuing. "Say we do this. Say we become more than debate teammates. Then we would be seeing a lot more of each other, which probably means more yelling at each other, and that would spill over into more places. Our homes, wherever we go to eat, here only doubled I'm sure, walking around campus. That's a lot of people being annoyed at us yelling at each other."

"Who says we would yell more than normal? Who says we would continue yelling at each other at all? Perhaps I only argue with you so much to get a rise out of you, and wouldn't feel the need to do so if we were seeing each other outside of these walls."

"You're too competitive for any kind of silence to last. If we were going on a date and I wanted to go to Granny's but you wanted to go to some dive bar with greasier food and less atmosphere, what would you do?"

"Why am I the one that wants the less healthy choice, Swan? You're more likely to argue with any place I contribute because they would actually be decent enough to serve things like _salads,_ unlike Granny's whose idea of a salad is two pieces of lettuce and a jug of ranch dressing!"

He realizes, too late, that the entire second half of his statement has been said in that higher-pitched arguing voice that only comes out when Emma is around. _Bollocks_.

Point: Emma.

4\. Achilles Heel

Like she senses that she's created a weakness, Emma goes for an even bigger one. One of her hands drops to his knee.

"I mean, it wouldn't be all bad, I guess. The sex with you was all right."

He takes a deep breath, pleading with his blood to stay where he needs it instead of viscerally responding to the touch, even as her hand inches up his thigh.

"Just all right?"

She hums, ending on a chuckle, no doubt from the expression on his face. "Maybe better than that. You did do that thing with your hips that got me off quicker than anyone ever managed to before. You know, that little circular motion when you were _deep_ inside of me?" Her nimble fingers are drawing circles on the top of his thigh and he swallows hard.

He's willing to make any deal he can with his libido if it will just let him win this argument. She starts tugging at a frayed thread from his pocket, pulling the material of his pants in a repetitive motion and a noise of want and frustration bubbles out of him as he clenches his eyes shut.

Point: Emma.

5\. Stay Focused

"Now, see, you're bringing this all back to the sex thing, Swan. Which was not my original intention. I want to _date_ you. For real. Go out to dinner, go see movies, do whatever it is you like to do in your free time."

At his admission, she immediately stops fidgeting with his pants, for which he is profoundly thankful because now he can clear his head and get back to the topic at hand.

Point: Killian.

6\. Keep emotions in check

"Besides, if I was trying to make this about the sex thing, I would be remiss if I didn't remind you of all the things I can do with my fingers that you seemed rather fond of. I still have your teeth marks on my shoulder. So at least be honest and say that it's more than _all right_. Also, you made some claims that I remember including the words best and ever, directly following one another."

When she doesn't respond, he casually reaches down to lift the hand still holding onto his pocket and clasps it in his own.

"Plus I'd like to remind you that you started it," he adds.

And she did. After being sentenced to do the research for their next match when they spent the entire meeting bickering, they'd returned to his place (closer) and sat down to do work. Soon her grumbling had turned to civil conversation, and then genuine laughter at something he'd said, and the next thing he knew, she'd grabbed his shirt and dragged him closer, her mouth covering his as her free hand raked through his hair. He'd kissed back with equal fervor as his hand slid across the nape of her neck.

From there it was a blur of motion, but he distinctly remembers her standing in his bedroom in nothing but her undergarments—the black mesh with embroidered rosebuds leaving little to his imagination and he stood behind her discovering and pulling each individual pin that held her hair in place before easing the elastic off. She turned to him, blonde cascading over her shoulders as she unhooked her bra and pulled him forward by the waistband of his boxers until they were chest to chest.

"By that reasoning, I'm going to guess that I was not the only one in that scenario that a, wanted it, and b, had thought of it before. So I want the chance to take you to dinner and see where it can go." He pulls her hand up to his lips, pressing them gently against their interlaced fingers. "Will you go out with me?"

7\. Go silent

Killian looks at her, _really_ looks at her with the past three years of hidden feelings shining in his eyes, letting her see every crack in the façade he's put up to guard his true feelings towards her. She studies him for a long time, searching his eyes and seeing it all before that little smile he adores curls her lips upward. She moves slowly this time, making her intentions known even before her lips meet his in a sweet kiss. Her hand tightens in his as her free one reaches up to stroke his jaw lightly.

End score: Draw.

She's pulled away a little, biting her lower lip as her smile grows into the most gentle and genuine thing he's ever seen from her. He's just about to move back in, to taste her lips all over again, when he's suddenly aware that they are not alone. With wide eyes, he turns to look at the rest of the group that had previously turned their backs and done their best to ignore the two of them. Emma follows his gaze and turns to look at their team, all turned back towards them and staring, all with their jaws dropped and frozen in place.

"What the hell is this?!" David is the first to recover from the shock they all seem to be in.

"The abolition of the ear plugs," Killian says in all sincerity. He shifts to throw an arm over the back of Emma's chair and pull her just a little closer as the rest of the group starts chattering all as one. He places one more kiss to her temple before nuzzling closer to her ear. "For everyone but Dave. He does live above me, after all, and he may still need his," he whispers.

At least when her elbow connects with his stomach, he was expecting it and it was with less force than in the past, and she's smiling when she does it.


End file.
